Bombastic spectacular spectacle

Rating: 8/10 (11 October 2013)

"Pacific Rim" is hardly innovative. Actually quite the opposite it is an epic exercise in post-modernist Tarantinesque mash-ups, where Mexican director Guillermo del Toro takes Japanese kaiju inspirations and their love for big mechabots, molds it with some quasi-Lovecraft mythology to create a bombastic blockbuster feature with little other intent that to entertain. And del Toro clearly has absolutely no other higher pretence. Popcorn at its finest (at the same time setting a high bar for Gareth Edwards "Godzilla").
When a mysterious rupture appears somewhere on the Pacific rim, giant monsters start emerging from the ocean, creating havoc and destruction on coastline areas. Confronted with this deadly gargantuan opponent a new method of defence must be formed, thus initiating the Jaeger programme of giant human-controlled robots. Due to the mental burden of controlling a monstrous Jaeger two pilots are necessary, both having to share their minds through a neural bridge. After a temporary turning of the tide in favour of humanity, the kaiju threat increases and soon all but four towering Jaegers are left to defend our planet. Amongst the remaining pilot is previously retired ace Raleigh Becket (Charlie Hunnam) and an untrained cadet Mako Mori (Rinko Kikuchi). Led by the legendary pilot Stacker Pentecost (Idris Elba) they are all that stands between the inevitable apocalypse.
Focusing on the spectacle, del Toro does his best to distract attention from human casualties, so instead of single humans being treaded upon we see a visual treat of epic proportions. Forced on by cardboard cutouts the story can never be held as anything other than generic fodder, even if the masterful presence of Idris Elba spurting out gibberish, as if he was delivering Shakespearesque brilliance, does its best to hide the thinly plotted story. That said del Toro has enough sensibility and rationality to deliver a story without gaping plot holes and illogical contrivances, thus making it a thankful respite from cascades of movies spurting out nonsense with almost religious zeal.
Within this behemoth of a movie lurk the age-old trusted interior mechanisms of blockbuster action movies, introduced however with a certain finesse of which directors like Michael Bay are incapable of. Pure enjoyment is what is on offer - expect anything else and you will be sorely disappointed. Lay back mind-meld to the blockbuster of the season.